The Crystal Ball Conundrum
by death.by.shuriken
Summary: Sasuke last chance at redemption comes and goes. But there's one last piece of the puzzle that can get him out of Orochimaru's grasp safely. A crystal ball that has the ability to let him see anywhere he wishes. SasuNaru. AUish.
1. A Reunion

**AN**: Hullo... After a long and much needed Hiatus, I am back on track.

_**Something very important that you should read before going any further;;**_

This is sort of like AU-- where it's based in naruto's world (So no, there aren't any school kids in it) but it's like an alternative ending to what looks like may happen in the Naruto II manga arc. It's set around 3 years after the current events of that specific arc. So the Naruto-gumi are around 18. This was _supposed _to be light and fluffy but... I'm incapable of light and fluffy (sorry Munkey)... so this is a bit angsty.

This was inspired by a doujinshi I picked up at my favourite place to hang out in the whole wide inkernet world--aarinfantasy. It's called '**Ishin Denshin' **and it was about Sasuke getting this crystal ball from Orochimaru that has the ability to let him spy on anyone he wished. Predictably, he chooses to spy on Naruto at the same time the blond dobe makes a clone and turns it into Sasuke. Sasuke manages to comandeer the bunshin through the crystal ball and does some naughty stuff to the clueless Naruto, who believes that the Bunshin is empty and merely obeying his wishes.

Anyways, this will come into play in later chapters. The events of the doujinshi will not be in it... but the idea of the crystal ball will be. Hence the name, '_The Crystal Ball Conundrum'_.

Regardless, I hope you like it... and do keep in mind that the boys _are _older and a bit more mature.

**Disclaimer**: _The realm of Naruto belongs to Misashi Kishimoto and Shounen Jump. I do not own or capitally benefit in any way._

**Chapter One  
**_A Reunion_**.  
**

He collapsed in the middle of the training area face down in the soil which had been soggy by the day's rain and churned to muck by his chidori. He lay there, feeling the viscous earth soak through the cotton of his hakama and strangely, it felt good on his fevered flesh. He let out a hoarse breath before trying to pull himself up to sit but his arms were too weak. Floundering for a bit, his eyes rolled upwards to his master. Orochimaru stood, impartial to the young man's tribulations all the while speaking with his right hand man, Kabuto. He was too far away to hear the conversation but the buzz of their voices lulled him into a vegetative state.

"He's been training constantly for the past two weeks, Orochimaru-sama."

"Good. I'm glad to see he's working up his endurance."

Kabuto's frown deepened as he tried to think of someway to express his concern for the young Uchiha's bodily wellbeing. "Orochimaru-sama… I think he should take a break soon. I don't know what the affects of straining himself with the chidori are, but they can hardly be good." His eyes swept the field, taking in the magnitude of damage done. The landscape would be irrevocably scarred from the renegade ninja's jutsu.

"So what do you suspect we do?" The sannin rasped.

"Make him eat properly, for one. Next," He slid his glasses up his nose as he tried to word this next suggestion to make it more appealing, "make him rest. Like a week this time but after he recovers, enforce a two day rest on him. Make sure he doesn't use his chakra at all and that he takes to his bed."

The muscles in Orochimaru's jaw twitched with impatience but it was the only sign Kabuto got that his suggestions had even affected the man, "Fine," Since Naruto had foiled their plans for the third time, Orochimaru had begun to get impatient with further development of Sasuke's skill.

Two sound medic-nins rushed out and carefully laid the muddy body on the stretcher they had been carrying. They carried him into Orochimaru's underground lair with Kabuto overseeing them and into a large bathing area before being dismissed. Tenderly, the chief medic-nin undressed the young man and pulling out a phial of smelling salts. He waved the salts beneath his nose and watched him splutter to life on the tiles. "You really work yourself too hard, Sasuke-kun. You must take better care of yourself." The silver haired shinobi muttered as he slung Sasuke's arm over his shoulder and dragged him over to the bath's ledge.

The younger man slid into the healing spring with a soft sigh and leaned heavily against the ledge, not trusting his knees to give out with him. He folded his arms over the ledge and rested his head on his forearms. Breathing in the soft sulphuric fumes from the water, Sasuke felt himself slowly slipping into a languid frame of mind. His muscles loosened, his skin turned flush and his head felt like it was bobbing along like a bubble in the water.

Kabuto reached down and grabbed his arm, hoisting him out of the water before he sank beneath its surface. He dragged him across the tiles, his skin slipped across the surface like a bar of soap. A soft tap on a flushed cheek revealed that Sasuke was completely out. He probed his body with chakra, searching for damage and after finding none he retrieved soap from a wooden bucket in the corner of the room and finished bathing him.

He knew that Orochimaru didn't want anyone else beside himself touching his precious vessel and so, Kabuto found himself saddled with the difficult task of dressing him in a cotton yukata. It was harder than it seemed, as Sasuke's pale limbs flopped around like a marionette with its strings cut. He had to be careful not to hit the shinobi prodigy's head against the floor which like everything else concerned with the Uchiha, was a task in itself. But after an hour of struggle, Kabuto had him dressed and tucked neatly in his four poster bed. Suspecting that he'd probably wake up with a headache due to dehydration and chakra drain, Kabuto left painkillers and a glass of water on his nightstand before retreating.

As predicted, the headache was what had chased him out of pleasant dreams about a faceless blond with the body of a god. The dream was immediately forgotten in the face of his pain. He blindly groped from the light and switched it on, regretting it almost immediately. His eyeballs felt like they had been punctured with senbon as a marching band paraded over his head. He moaned and covered his eyes with one hand as he fished around his nightstand for the tablets he was sure he'd seen earlier. Finding them and popping them in his mouth, he took a drink from the glass of water that had been set out for him as well.

He rolled away from the light, hating it but not wanting to turn it off. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took a deep breath and tried to recall the subject of his dream. With a sigh, he punched the pillow beneath his head and debated on another serious attempt at salvaging some of the night. Glancing at the alarm clock by his head, it blinked five am, his usual wake-up time. He threw back the covers and set his feet on the cold floor. His muscles protested the movement but he managed to get himself out of bed without so much as a grimace. Stretching was the first thing he did before the monotonous yet mandatory 100 handstand push-ups, 100 sit ups and 100 squats.

The door opened, as per norm admitting Kabuto who had a tray with his usual amount of vitamins and supplements. Orochimaru had been very strict on what he was allowed to eat and since meat had been entirely out of the question, he had been given supplements to maintain an even level of protein that his body needed. When his last growth spurt had ended a year ago, the level of vitamins and supplements had dropped by half, much to Sasuke's relief.

"What are you doing up?" Kabuto asked as he set the tray on the nightstand, moving the half-empty water glass out of the way.

"Normal time," He grunted as he got into push-up position and lowered his pelvis, arching his back while walking his hands backwards to get more of a stretch.

"There is no training for you today. Get back into bed."

He didn't pause in his stretching but peered at the man through his arms as he lifted his feet into the air and cat walked himself to a standing position. Feeling a bit light headed, he sat back down on the mattress but made it looked like he was continuing his stretching from where he sat. Kabuto wasn't fooled by the display and repeated himself. His concern was rewarded with a dark scowl from the Uchiha and, "I'm alright. I just worked myself a bit too hard yesterday."

"Yes and I would remind you that your body is no longer your own property. After the death of your brother, the contract was fulfilled. Your life is null and void." The reminder was a heartless one but after hearing it so many times over the past six years, Sasuke didn't even bat an eye.

Sasuke growled and eased back from his stretching. He took the cup of water and handful of pills from the medic-nin and downed them all. "And how long am I on bed rest?"

"A week… but I'm going to have to run tests to make sure there isn't any internal damage. If so, you might be on bed rest for longer."

"So what am I going to do if I can't train?"

Kabuto shrugged, setting both cups back on the tray, "Not my problem. I'm only responsible for your physical health. Since boredom really doesn't affect that, I don't care what you do. As long as you don't hurt yourself, that is."

"Is there a library or something around here?"

"Orochimaru keeps an extensive research library. It'll be pretty boring stuff for you."

Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke asked, "And what makes you think that?"

The silver haired man didn't bother to answer. He merely walked across the room with his tray and kicked the door open before leaving. Sasuke flopped back on the bed, sighing gustily as his fingers fidgeted with a long ebon lock of hair. He figured he could probably do with a few more hours of sleep. His joints felt creaky and his muscles were still so taut that he thought that they'd snap his bones like twigs if they got any tenser. He finally relented to the idea of more sleep and kicked off his slippers before sliding beneath the covers. He killed the light and lay there in the perfect dark. His headache had strangely left the moment he had ingested the first wave of pills and so, sleep was pretty easy to come by.

When next he woke, it was to the pounding of his heart. The dream he had been having was a vivid one. He touched the damp spots on his boxers and realized that he had ejaculated in his sleep due to the intensity of the images his subconscious had been feeding him. His skin felt feverish to touch and he kicked off the blankets and sheets that had knotted themselves around his legs. The cool air quickly dried the film of sweat that covered his pale skin, leaving him feeling cold.

He didn't want to get back into the bed without at first cleaning up. So he padded over to the massive wooden armoire that had been provided with a full wardrobe inside. He flung open the doors and fished out a pair of fine cotton boxers. Of course, Orochimaru would be made aware of his lusty state and somewhere deep within his brain, Sasuke was mortified with the prospect but he shrugged it off. He was eighteen and a healthy male. There'd be something wrong if he didn't have accidents like this, he thought reasonably as he threw off his dirty undergarments and replaced them with fresh ones.

What Orochimaru didn't know was the fact that he was having wet dreams about a young man whose name had been rapidly jumping the line in the snake man's 'people to off once I have the Uchiha's body' list. A thrill of dread ran up and down Sasuke's spine at the thought of the blond being murdered by the dark sannin. He supposed it really didn't matter since now his life was not his own. Not that that mattered either, since he had managed to kill his brother. What happened to Naruto didn't matter anymore since he probably wouldn't live to see the blond again.

So why did he still haunt his dreams? Why was he having wet dreams about his former team mate and rival? As far as he knew, from information gleaned from the many spies Orochimaru had rooted in Konoha, Naruto was a typical guy his age. He had a girlfriend—so it was obvious that he wouldn't be interested in Sasuke even if their circumstances had been different. He was a successful ninja which really hadn't surprised him at all. He was a part of the ANBU as well, taking up missions around the country while he was trying to find Sasuke.

He buried himself beneath the thick feather tick and shivered. His mind wandered over the well trodden paths that concerned a certain dead-last idiot ninja. Whenever he had time to think – which was rare since Orochimaru had seen fit to push him through a punishing fitness retinue—it had almost always been of Naruto. He had been careful to disguise such thoughts from the people around him. His thoughts were his own and he would let no one's opinion sully them, especially not the likes of Kabuto and Orochimaru.

When finally his restlessness got the best of him, he got out of the bed and finished his stretching. His muscles felt loose and limber, still a bit sore but he found himself functional. He grabbed clean clothes and headed to the bathroom off of his bedroom. After his normal ablutions were out of the way, Sasuke wandered out to find his dirty clothes had been whisked away and his sheets had been changed. No doubt he'd be hearing something about his little accident sooner or later. He felt a blush creep up his neck and supplant itself on his high cheekbones.

He lingered in his room a while longer, going through his scant personal items and finding the picture he had buried in a drawer. It had been folded over twice and it was apparent that he took it out to look at it many times before. The creases had cracked the glossy surface, marring the picture but not enough to evoke memories—both painful and joyous. Naruto smirking like a fool, Sakura staring at him and Kakashi looming over them all like a overprotective mother hen.

There was a knock at the door and he stuffed the picture away from prying eyes before bidding them to enter. It was Orochimaru and behind him, Kabuto. Obviously he'd be getting that lecture about his soiled boxers sooner rather than later. He stifled a sigh and stared at them, waiting for them to launch into a discussion.

"You may leave, Kabuto." The pale man hissed, waving a hand of dismissal at the man in question.

Sasuke could barely suppress the need to smirk as he caught the scowl on Kabuto's face. His dark eyes flew to his master's face as they waited for the dismissed ninja to close the door behind him. "You know why I am here, Sasuke-kun?" He asked.

"I have some idea, Orochimaru-sama."

The man settled his tall frame on a chair against the wall. He crossed his legs and leaned back, meshing his fingers and laying them against his stomach. Despite his lax position, Sasuke was hardly fooled. He had seen him move before and like his namesake, the snake, the man had a fluid, sinuous energy about him that was frightening. His molten gold eyes ran greedily over Sasuke's body and Sasuke bit back the need to shudder, as if he had just been violated by that unnatural gaze. "You are a virile young man… it's to be expected that these things would happen."

"I'm aware of the state of your body, Orochimaru-sama." It was discussions like this that he felt like he was squatting in a body that was never his to begin with. His thoughts, his actions--- nothing have ever been his own. It would have bothered him but he knew he had never lived any other way and so, he probably would have been more thrown off if someone had told him to think or do whatever he wanted. "Since after all, I'm squatting in it."

"Don't be rude, Sasuke-kun." He admonished in a voice that sounded amused rather than angry, which only further annoyed the young man, "You have never expressed this need before. Should we provide you with some relief?" Delicately put, would you like me to give you a whore? Sasuke interpreted.

He grimaced, "You don't want me to taint my body with eating meat but you would provide me with some whore to fuck for my convenience? Or is this like last time, you merely want to test my sterility by impregnating yet another village maiden?"

Orochimaru remembered that last attempt and his fatherly smile slide from his face and in its place, a frightening scowl. "Don't be impertinent, boy." The young girl in question had been drugged and hypnotised, Sasuke had been foolish enough and desperate enough not to realize this when he found her in his room that night years ago. At the tender age of 15, Sasuke had lost his virginity and it had permanently jaded his opinion on the act after he discovered he had pretty much raped the girl. She had been kept at the compound, under a heavy hypnosis as the child grew inside her body. Finally, when it had donned on Sasuke that she was pregnant and held against her will, he had broken her out. It had nothing to do with love—an emotion he thought was frivolous and a waste of energy—but pity. It had been purely by accident that he discovered her body some days later, floating face down in the river he had been training on. She had thrown herself off a cliff from what he gathered. She had been seven months pregnant.

"Well, if not a girl… then perhaps a boy?"

Sasuke curled his lip in anger. It wasn't the question of his sexuality that had piqued him, but the man's patronizing tone. "I know how you pick your victims, Orochimaru-_sama_ and what you do with them. I won't be an accomplice to rape. Not this time."

"Suit yourself, boy." He said, lifting himself from the chair.

The musky smell of snake filled the room, an indication of the state of Orochimaru's mind. He was angry, very angry and Sasuke felt a prickle of fear at the back of his mind. "Since I'm not allowed to train, what else do you want me to do?"

"I don't care, boy, as long as you don't do anything stupid. You know the boundaries I have laid in place. They are large enough to envelope an entire town. Go there, if you wish and do what you like. I'll provide money for your excursion." A town riddled with spies that would report his every movement.

Strangely, Sasuke found himself wanting to get out of the stifling underground lair. "Fine."

He reached inside his robes and pulled out a satchel of ryou and tossed them at him. Sasuke caught the satchel and felt the press of coin against this palm. "If you find yourself suddenly in need of some release… make sure to protect yourself. And don't leave the boundaries. You know what will happen if you do."

After Orochimaru's departure, Sasuke packed some clothes and changed into something that didn't scream 'renegade ninja'. Donning a pair of dark grey cargo pants with deep enough pockets to hold kunai and a few smoke bombs, he followed it with a black long sleeved shirt and a grey vest with a wide variety of pockets. Of course, old habits had still not died and Sasuke bound his shins in bandages over his pants before putting on his sandals. Since it was impossible to disguise the fact that he was shinobi, he threw on the customary dark grey cowl that all sound-nin had taken to wearing and a hitai-ate with sound's crest on it. Since he couldn't disguise the scarlet of his irises, he pushed the headband down lower on his forehead.

A glance in the mirror made Sasuke smirk, he looked like Kakashi. With a shake of his head, he decided to leave off the vest and shouldered his pack before walking out the door.

--

Another village, another dead end. Naruto let slip an agitated, impatient sound as he pushed his way through the crowded streets to find a decent ramen shop. He was hungry and travel weary, none of which helped to improve his deteriorating spirits. If he didn't find food soon, he'd probably end up tearing down the village—with or without the Kyuubi's help.

Abandoning the idea of a place that looked like it sold quality ramen. Naruto opted for the shop he had seen around the corner. He walked in the door and took up a seat at the back where he could watch the crowds come and go. Despite the ramshackle look to the place, it seemed that it was pretty famous. Either that or everyone was experiencing the same stomach-gnawing hunger he was.

He ordered three bowls of ramen, pork flavoured, barbeque flavoured and mushroom flavoured and tried to keep from drooling while he was at it. The ramen smells that hung in the chipper October air made his stomach growl angrily. He patted it and mentally promised that soon enough it'd be nice and full with tasty noodles.

Sparing the waitress a handsome smile, Naruto dove into the first bowl of noodles. He didn't see the starry look in her eyes—an affect that he had on all females. When he had demolished the three bowls, along with another two, he sat back with a replete sigh. Catching a whiff of himself, he grimaced and soon found himself thrust out into the crowds, in search of a hotel.

The best hotel in the village was located at its center. It had shower and it also boasted a natural onsen which he was looking forward to dipping into later on in the evening once he had a nap and a shower.

His room was nice, if but a little crammed. There was a bed and the linen was clean, so it had a leg up on the option which was camping out in the forest. He could even get room service but that was a luxury his ninja instincts wouldn't allow him to indulge. He always had a thing about making sure to watch his food being made. Especially after Tsunade had slipped something in a sandwich she had given him once. He had explosive diarrhoea for three days straight.

As soon as he had a look around and set the necessary precautions on the windows and doors, he stripped and got into the shower. The needling spray worked at his taut muscles, making him feel sleepy and content. He massaged the shoulder he had managed to bruise earlier that day in a skirmish with a bunch of rock-nin that had recognised him as one of Konoha's elite. Naruto had been flattered that his reputation had exceeded him but it had become a pain during long assignments that had dragged him across the continent. Everyone had wanted a piece of him since he had foiled Orochimaru's last plan.

Naruto turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel off the rack. He wrapped it around his waist and walked out of the bathroom to sit on the bed. He had every intention of getting changed before dropping into bed for a much needed sleep but as he fell back against the mattress, he found himself unable to sit up. His eyes grew heavy and he dropped off to sleep.

When he woke, it was to a dark room filled with shadows that seemed to shift and shimmer in the corners. He sat up and turned on the lamp, leaning heavily on his knees with his elbows as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. Sluggishly, he pulled himself from the bed and sorted through his bag for a clean change of clothes. The only thing he had that was clean was a pair of black pants and a black shirt he preferred to use while on a ANBU mission. The mask was wrapped in a black cloth at the bottom of his bag, along with his katana. He didn't like to wear such dark and dreary colours when he wasn't in disguise but it was either that or his travel stained clothes that reeked of dust and sweat.

He shrugged into the black shirt which seemed to form on his torso like a second skin and the pants which were a bit snug around the butt but other than that, were good to move around in. He carried his katana wrapped firmly in the cloth that was usually wrapped around it. The cloth was long enough to conceal the weapon and be used as an impromptu sling. He checked to make sure the sword was clear in the scabbard and at a reachable distance snug within the folds of the rich cloth. With hitai-ate in place, Naruto forwent the customary bandages around the shins and slipped into his sandals before heading out the door.

The dreary village seemed to be a nocturnal one, from what Naruto had observed. The place was bustling with activity. He found himself in front of a restaurant that boasted call girls and he grinned lecherously at the prospects of finding himself a pretty lady. Glancing at his pocketbook to make sure he had enough, he found it suitably full and went inside without another thought.

She was pretty. They kind of serene beauty that would linger long after her youth had faded. She was a true lady and Naruto enjoyed her company as he sat back against a thick wooden beam in the corner of the room. She sat like a delicately folded blossom with a shamisen in her lap, plucking at the strings in a lazy melody while she sang the words that went along. She was talented—the best that money could buy, Naruto had been assured as more than half of his money had been whisked away by the maitre'd. Luckily, he had paid for the hotel room in advance and if it came down to the crunch, he could always take up employment as a bodyguard. Such jobs were always in high demand so he wasn't really worried about money.

He had divined a lot of wisdom from the pervert frog hermit and some of the most important lessons, Jiraiya felt, were how to pick fine women and fine sake. Naruto had developed a very sensitive palate for both, which had made Jiraiya very proud. Hitomi, as she had told him to call her, had been that unexpected flower you find in a dark crevasse. The frog hermit would have been proud of his former pupil's wonderful find in both woman and surprisingly enough, sake. He had drank his fair share of the fine rice wine, it went down far too easily for his tastes and the woman was a charm in itself but the night was getting along and once again, Naruto found himself feeling a bit sleepy.

He kissed her on her cheek, thanked her for the wonderful evening in her presence and then left. Feeling a buzz from the alcohol, Naruto found himself humming the song he had heard Hitomi sing as he made his way back to his hotel room.

He wished that he had had enough sense to invite someone along on this mission, but when the option came up for him to go alone Naruto took the bait. He couldn't resist the prospects of a mission where he didn't have to hold anyone accountable or be accountable for anyone. He could do his thing and do it in the time that he wished. It had been a pretty simple assignment, anyways. All he had to do was retrieve a stolen scroll from a less than honourable politician. The scroll had to then be delivered into the hands of the Konoha ambassador to Sunagakure, who happened to be none other than Yamanaka Ino.

During that time, he had gotten a wonderful lead about Sasuke's whereabouts. He had left a note with Ino to send along with her daily correspondence to the Hokage, telling them of his intentions and whereabouts. Tsunade seemed to express a pretty lax attitude towards finding the missing-nin, Uchiha Sasuke but Naruto had never given up the fight. Every tidbit of information, every morsel of intelligence gleaned about his former rival and best friend had been chased down to the dead end it always led to.

Naruto carefully checked his traps on the door to his room, making sure that they were all where he had left them. Finding everything in place and so, he removed the jutsus and the other more solid traps on the door before throwing it open. He didn't bother to flick on a light as he went into the washroom to empty his bladder and brush his teeth.

It was when he was in the room and fiddling with the knot to his sash that he sensed the other presence in the room. The familiar way the chakra oozed through the air made his breath hitch in his throat. A hand lifted up to the tang of his sword, fingers wrapped around its familiar rough hilt.

"Are you going to use that on me?" _His_ voice whispered from directly behind him, _his_ mouth only inches away from his ear.

"Sasuke…"

A cool hand brushed away his hand from his weapon while the other wrapped around his waist to pin him against his body. "What are you doing here, Naruto?"

"I stopped here on my way home." He didn't know why he was telling the missing-nin his business. He had been trained to withstand torture when he first joined ANBU, and had even come close to being tortured for information once, but here he was spilling his guts and not even a blade was exposed. Ibiki-sensei would have been furious.

The hand that had stilled his over his katana slid down his arm and then cupped the side of his face. Naruto found himself turning into his hand, nuzzling against his palm. He smelled like a soft, delicately perfumed soap and there were calluses from the hours upon hours of practice he most likely devoted himself to each day.

He was shocked when he felt a hot mouth press against the junction where his neck met his shoulder. Sasuke's body was impossibly still behind him, yet despite that lack of motion Naruto sensed he was restless. His lips, impossibly soft, brushed up the length of his throat until they met the delicate shell of his ear.

"W-why are you here?" Naruto whispered, sensing that his self-control was slipping as Sasuke nipped at his earlobe.

"I'm on vacation."

He knew that he was rapidly losing control of the situation and then he reminded himself that he never had control of it to begin with. Trying to stroke to life the resentment and anger he had fostered for the other man, Naruto found himself strangely floundering. He wanted to be angry. He needed to be angry to protect his sanity but of all the times he wished his feelings to obey him, this was certainly not the time for them to mutinously abandon him.

Naruto stepped around the bed, putting as much furniture and distance as he could from the other man before turning around to stare at him through the darkness. "Don't fuck with me, Sasuke. I want to know where you've been! After all these years of looking for you, you suddenly surface and you've got nothing to say for yourself." There it was-- the anger. It flared to life, shimmering across his skin like a fiery aura. "Not even an apology for what you did to us all years ago."

"I did what I had to do." Sasuke said simply, watching the spectacular display of power dance in the air between them.

The anger dissipated as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving the blond feeling tired and overcome with a grief that he couldn't explain. "I had a million things I wanted to tell you but now… I can't think of one."

"Are questions necessary?" He walked towards the other man slowly.

"I've been chasing you around for the past six years. I want to know why but I don't think you can answer that." Naruto said softly, sitting on the bed and resting his head in his hands. He looked downright glum. Sasuke thought it was an endearing look but he much preferred that goofy smile, the sheepish gleam in his eye he got when he was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to. He wondered, fleetingly, if Naruto even did such childish things anymore.

"Believe it or not, but I didn't come here to fight with you." Sasuke said sullenly as he sank down in the bed beside his former team mate.

Naruto snorted derisively, "I don't think we are capable of doing anything else but fight, Sasuke. That's all that's ever been between us; a fight." He said it in tired, worn words that made the dark haired young man's heart sink. Where was the fight in Naruto? What had happened to the incorrigible kid who didn't know when to shut up and leave well enough alone? His eyes drifted to the katana and then he realized what had happened to that child. He recalled the times in the past when he had brushed up against that mighty power and unconquerable will that was Naruto and he knew where the child had laid its head and never woken.

The stark and painful reality of adulthood had dashed Naruto naivety—the very essence of his soul, and it had dragged him up painfully to become an adult. With the broad brushstrokes of pain, of anger, of betrayal, a darker life had been painted for him. It wasn't a pretty place, where his fancy ideals—his promises—had blown away on the wind of compromise.

Had Naruto's lost innocence been his fault? Sasuke felt a twinge of guilt as he sat beside the thing of his dreams. He realized that despite the fact that their thighs were touching, Naruto couldn't have been any farther away.

**TBC**


	2. The Dye is Cast

AN: Alright, first order of business! Thanks for all the review luvin' I got from the first chapter. X3 It's encouraging. hands out hugs and kisses and nekkid Sasuke and Naruto Plushies

The crystal ball has yet to come into play. It will soon, though... and sorry for the UST and yet ANOTHER cliffie. I'm a real bitch for those, aren't I? . 

Enjoy.

Don't kill me. But review, I like those a lot.

**Chapter Two**  
_The Dye is Cast._

He shouldn't have been there. It was silly of him to come but when he had seen the blond downtown, still dirty and weary from his travelling, Sasuke knew he wouldn't have been able to leave him alone. Then, his mind had been at a loss of what to do when he met up with him, and even know he was still trying to figure out what to do.

"So what now, Sasuke?" Naruto yawned, flopping back on the bed and feigning sleepiness. The katana was still tied to his back and Sasuke guessed it could hardly be comfortable to have it digging into his shoulder blade. Strangely, he realized that the weapon was still reachable, even his hand was lying beside the bared hilt although the fingers were curled over his palm like a closing lotus.

"I incapacitate you and take you back to Orochimaru where he will reward me for handing in the pupil of his most hated enemy." It was meant as a joke but Sasuke had said it a little too serious. Then it donned on him that he had never joked with Naruto and so, he wasn't very surprised when the blond lunged into action and tore the sword from its casing. Sasuke sat with an eyebrow arched, looking up past the yard or so of steel and into blue eyes glinting a deadly promised that chilled him to the bone.

"How about this; I incapacitate _you_ and take _you_ back to Konoha where you belong."

"I don't belong in Konoha, Naruto. I never belonged there from the moment my family was killed." Sasuke said simply, the slow burn of regret apparent in his words.

"You do belong there!" He said with the same passion that existed when they were both twelve and he was too stupid to know better. Sasuke felt relieved that the old Naruto wasn't entirely dead.

"I'm not having this argument with you, dobe." He grumbled, "Besides even if I did want to go back to Konoha, I can't. I'm on a metaphysical leash. Orochimaru has my every movement tracked."

"Where is he?" Naruto hissed as his and the kyuubi's chakra exploded from his skin.

"What would you do if you knew?"

"I'd kill him and then I could take you where I wanted."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "You and what army?"

"I can take him." He said, his confidence failing somewhat. As an afterthought, Naruto sheathed the sword in a movement he had to have practiced in the mirror for the past six years.

Lifting an eyebrow in an unconvincing look, Sasuke asked, "Oh, yeah? Well, in case you haven't noticed, Orochimaru is way out of your league."

"How do you know what league I'm in?"

"Because, stupid, I've been watching you for the past six years. I know you are strong. I know that you are in the ANBU and one of the rising stars in their ranks—you'll probably reach Hokage status with more training in the next few years. But you aren't even on the same planet as Orochimaru."

He sat on the bed, defeated, "So close and yet, so far away."

Was the old Naruto a façade? A guise for the newer, darker version of a monster that lurked within? Sasuke wondered and then he found himself doubting the intelligence pertaining to the blond shinobi. Maybe he was capable of taking on Orochimaru? He shook his head of such thoughts and reminded himself that soon it wouldn't matter. He could feel, even now, the tight grip that the sannin had on his throat.

"I feel like I'm going to lose you soon, Sasuke." Naruto blurted.

Spooked that the blond was having the exact same thoughts as he, Sasuke smirked, "You never had me." Again, meant as a joke but the tone in which he used made that statement sound regretful and sad.

A hand on his chest pushed him down onto the mattress. He found himself being straddled by Naruto, who had deftly pinned his hands above his head in a one-handed grasp. He didn't bother to struggle, sensing that the blond would never hurt him. Instead, his skin seemed to want to crawl off of his body and wrap itself around the warmth the other man was emitting. "I guess your right, but let's rectify that." He said simply as his head dipped down and claimed Sasuke's shocked mouth in a fiery kiss.

He didn't have time to recover as he was bombarded by Naruto's persistent mouth. His tongue slid past Sasuke's lips, brushing along his own before retreating to lick along his bottom lip. A shudder of delight welled in the pit of his stomach and it blossomed as sharp teeth nipped at that same lip, transforming the initial response to Naruto's kiss into a breathy moan.

It was when the cold air displaced the warmth of skin to skin contact that he realized Naruto was no longer on top of him. His eyes flew open and he sat up, immediately catching the spark of blade-on-blade contact as the whisper of unsheathed steel filled the dark room. A step, a graceful bend of the body and the intruder found himself impaled on brilliant edge of Naruto's weapon. Naruto ruthlessly twisted the blade, showering the carpets, bedding, himself and Sasuke in blood after he withdrew. The ninja clutched at the hideously gaping wound before dropping down to lie still on the carpet.

"Sound." Naruto muttered after moving the dead man's head to the side to catch a glimpse of the crest on his hitai-ate. "Guess you are being beckoned." He lifted himself up but still didn't face Sasuke.

Sasuke, feeling far more tired than his eighteen years should have permitted, sighed and rubbed at the blood that oozed down his right cheek. There had always been something dangerous lurking beneath the goofy mask that Naruto always wore. Sasuke figured, after seeing the Kyuubi for the first time that it was clear whose shadow he had seen in those brilliant sapphire eyes. Now, he wasn't so sure anymore. He realized that perhaps beneath the cage of a capering idiot Naruto had made himself out to be, lurked something that wasn't the Kyuubi, but a darker part of Naruto's psyche.

Then he turned and his theories were contradicted. The light that filtered in through the only window in the hotel room, splashed across his face and painted a picture that was painfully beautiful, tragic and terrifying all at once. Brilliant crimson eyes glared out through the calm of Naruto's blood smeared face. Despite the ethereal, almost impossible colour they had turned in the blink of an eye, Sasuke recognized that haunted, pained expression as something that was all too human.

The katana slid from his bloodied fingers as he reached up to touch Sasuke's face. He wanted to make sure the ghost like figure sitting on his bed wasn't a ghost that he had imagined a million times before. The congenial, happy-go-lucky kid he had adopted as his persona shattered into a million pieces as his fingertips touched _real_ skin. Real warm skin.

Their lips crashed together and fuelled by the adrenaline of Naruto's kill and the danger of being interrupted again. Sasuke pinned him to the bed and straddled his waist. "I'll get the next one." He whispered against the naked flesh he had bared after brutally tearing his shirt apart.

Naruto squirmed, helpless and mewling softly as every inch of him was touched, kissed, licked, bit and pinched. His skin tasted like the blood of the person they just killed and his stomach churned slightly with that thought. It was soon forgotten as the blond inadvertently ground his hips against Sasuke's. His head fell back, exposing his throat as the breath exited through his mouth in a loud, hoarse noise.

There was no telling who had gotten naked first, but it was apparent that neither cared. A shiver ran up and down his spine as he gleefully realized how responsive Naruto really was. Despite the callous, indelicate way he had about himself, there was something about the way he reacted to the kisses and touches Sasuke gave him that made Sasuke's mouth water.

It donned on him that despite what he instinctively knew had to be done, Sasuke didn't really have an idea of what was supposed to happen when the act was initiated. He had only had sex with one girl once before and that could hardly count. A worried look came over his face, he obviously must have frozen during the time the thought had occurred to him because a strange look came over the blond's face. "Sasuke, why did you stop?"

Insecurity, something that was foreign and weird to the Uchiha, suddenly plagued his mind and the arousal that flushed his body was half forgotten. Naruto sensed the further slip and reached out, catching his face to keep him from turning away. "What's going on in that head, Sasuke?'

"I…" Naruto rocked his hips, the ripple of sensation teased against his spine and made him arch against his broad chest. Sasuke reached out, planting his palm on his shoulder to balance himself as he responded to the second movement of their hips grinding together.

He found himself pushed onto his back with Naruto over him. Naruto travelled down the pale length of his body, resting himself between Sasuke's legs. His teeth gnashed his bottom lip, suppressing the sudden urge to yell as the Konoha-nin's mouth slid over his throbbing shaft. His fingers nestled in Naruto's wild blond hair as his tongue swirled across the head of his cock. Since when had Naruto ever bested him at anything? Sasuke asked himself blearily but his pricked pride was soon forgotten as the he brushed the back of Naruto's throat.

With his endurance flagging already, Sasuke grit his teeth to keep himself under control as Naruto hummed and sucked over his velvety length. His fingernails dug painfully into his scalp and he rolled his hips upwards to meet the blond's eager, hot mouth. "I'm going to…"

A hand reached between his legs, his fingers gently kneaded the delicate sacs as they tightened with the strain of an oncoming orgasm. "Come." Naruto growled as his mouth slid twitching member once more. The muscles in his thighs and stomach tensed up simultaneously, his body being pushed over the edge and he tumbled over it with a hissing gasp. His cum spilled into Naruto's awaiting mouth and he yanked on those flaxen tresses again as his hips jerked for the last time.

The silence followed, not even Sasuke's breathing could break it as he lay there, staring up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and felt Naruto settle himself on his side, against sasuke's body with his head resting against his hip. ""Sasuke, you've never had sex with a man before, have you?" He said suddenly, lifting his head up and frowning at the sullen shinobi.

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke rasped, trying to push the blond off. He opened his eyes and watched Naruto climb over him in lazy, long movements that reminded him of a hunting cat. The muscles ripped in his torso, across his back, highlighted by the pale light of the moon. His breath hitched in his throat and immediately, his eyes flew to the blond's face. The blond was looking at him through eyes that were brilliant crimson. His slit pupils were dilated like a cat in the dark and ever once and a while, he caught the flash of moonlight in their sanguine depths.

Sasuke was the first to sense the stranger that invaded the room. He was flanked by three others, which lead him to assume that the dead man on the floor was probably their fourth team mate. His fingers brushed against the kunai beneath the pillow his head rested on and from his supine position, he managed to through the weapon. With a lethal efficiency, it honed in on the closest man's throat and lodged itself just beneath his Adam's apple. Naruto was out of the bed, snaking to the side with his katana in hand while Sasuke listed to the right, his shoulder sliding against the wall. The chidori screamed through his skin, he slammed it into one of the surviving ninja's chest, watching it explode and splatter across his face and naked body as Naruto finished off the last unfortunate shinobi. He wiped the blade through the air, the blood splattering against the wall as it was flung from the shiny metal. "Come with me, Sasuke."

Regret flared anew, making the dark haired man shake his head, "Go before Kabuto comes. I'll hold them off."

"The hell you will." Naruto snapped as he fumbled to do up his fly.

He reared on him, his hands slapping against the other man's naked torso and slamming him up against the wall. "Listen, I made a deal. My life is no longer my own… I don't have the option of some place to turn, anyways. I'm a deserter outside of Sound country. This is the only place I'm safe from the hunter-nin."

Naruto shook his head, "I can't leave without you."

Shoving him with more force, Sasuke growled, "You will leave because I don't want you here, cluttering up the place. Orochimaru will have my body. I'm finished with it and I don't have any other use for it."

"So you'd be a madman's pawn?"

"I made that decision the moment I accepted the power he offered to kill Ita--- _that man._"

The fox holder looked hurt, "So I'd never be enough to keep you from going?"

Wanting to hurt the man in order to ensure his departure, Sasuke sneered, "You never did before." He found his mouth hovering mere inches away from the other's. His mouth watered with anticipation and he eradicated the distance before placing a chaste kiss against them. His hand clutched the nape of his neck, keeping him from moving as the kiss deepened. When finally he broke away, he had found himself drowning in the desire to harm him and carress him at the same time. He clenched his teeth and pressed his forehead against Naruto's before whispering, "Don't give me hope, Naruto. Just let me go in peace."

"I can't do that, Sasuke."

He pushed himself away, craving distance all of a sudden. Grabbing his clothes, he threw them on carelessly before throwing open the small window. It was big enough for him to slip out of. He threw one last look over his shoulder at his former rival and team mate and for once in a very long while, he felt like he wanted to live. Squashing that feeling immediately, he threw himself out the window and caught the window sill below to break his fall. He let go of the ledge and dropped to the ground like a cat.

Kabuto stood on the corner of the street, patiently waiting for his ward. He stuffed his hands in his pocket, and looked relaxed but he radiated an energy that told the young Uchiha he was anything but. The tightness in the corners of his eyes, barely hidden behind his glasses, betrayed an anger that fascinated and amused the younger shinobi.

His mirth was soon shattered by a hand on his throat, driving him backwards. He hit the wall, his breath driving from his lung with the force of it. The fingers tightened minutely before loosening just enough to allow the Uchiha a decent breath of air. "Did you have fun killing those men and fucking like the whore I know you are, Sasuke-_sama_?" Kabuto asked, his voice deadly soft.

"Fuck you." Sasuke bit out, driving a hand into the silver haired shinobi's throat.

The attack was anticipated and the hand was caught, pinned above his head. "Just because you are an expendable asset, does not mean I cannot punish you. There are many ways I can inflict pain without damaging your precious person." He hissed, a maniacal glint in his dark eyes.

Sasuke didn't doubt for a second what the medic-nin was capable of. In fact, he had witnessed the man's tainted taste in such things. He had seen the way men and women walked into his room, expecting a normal sexual encounter with the revered right hand man of a godlike ninja. Only to come out haunted and bereft of some part of their soul that Kabuto had found delectable. No, it wasn't whips and chains that his tastes ran to but something far too horrifying for anyone to recount. His partners--- victims--- had taken months to heal, both mentally and physically.

His fear was a palpable thing and it seemed to glue his tongue to the roof of his mouth as his mind tried to ingest what exactly Kabuto was threatening him with. "Don't touch me." Sasuke snarled, clawing savagely at the hand. His fingernails bit into flesh, creating bloody wheals that made the silver haired shinobi recoil out of pain and disgust.

Kabuto watched him with a feral look in his eye as his hand came up, tongue darting out to lap at the bleeding cuts. The last Uchiha shuddered, feeling that tongue along his own flesh and hating it. "You've made a fool of me, Sasuke-sama. Now, I must report how you managed to kill an entire cell while maintaining your tryst. Who was it that you were with?"

His heart lodged in his throat, Sasuke said a little too quickly, "No one."

Eyebrows raised over eyes that bored into his eyes, "Really? Shall I go look and see what you so desperately want to protect?"

"Just a whore I bought for the night—you know; the willing kind." He couldn't help but add that stab at Kabuto but it went unrewarded. He merely tilted his head and waited for Sasuke to keep going, "I left her crying on the bed in a room full of corpses."

After a moment, his eyebrows settled down over his eyes. The unconvincing glint in his dark eyes was replaced by a flat, humoured look, "And you call me perverted."

"I've had enough of this place. I'm leaving." Sasuke snapped.

Back in the lair, Sasuke didn't bother stopping by to inform Orochimaru of his arrival. Instead, he went straight to the baths where he regretfully scrubbed away the traces of Naruto's touches. He sat for a long time on a bench, in the steamy room with a towel wrapped around his slender waist, lost in thought.

He couldn't remember the last time he had teamed up with Naruto but just those two kills alone were enough to make him recall how great it had felt. Sighing softly, Sasuke tried to keep from listening to the echoes of his hateful words, the bitterness creeping up his oesophagus and coating his tongue in a foul taste.

It was strange how much Naruto had changed in the past three years. He had grown up so much. Even then, it had been odd to see that there was nothing left to the short, slight youth who didn't hold even a promise of fleshing out some, much less growing upwards. He barely knew the man who wore the mask called Naruto but still, he found himself able to relate to him due to the trials and hardships they had faced during their partnership that had ended so abruptly. Whose fault had that been? The voice asked solemnly and Sasuke felt a wave of grief wash over him. He had lost a childhood in the face of his brother's actions but when he had the chance to salvage what little was left, he had abandoned it and dwelled in the dark need for revenge.

His parents would be turning in their grave right now, to know that the last of the Uchihas had resulted in such disgrace. A dead son, slain by the hand of their other and the both of them betraying the country that countless generations of Uchihas had died to protect. How many shinobi and kunoichi had perished during the Kyuubi war? How many had been killed in the many battles held between rock country and grass country? The culmination of that now sat in a bathroom, dreading an indignant death that he had openly embraced in order to kill said brother. Had it all been worth it? At one point, he would said most certainly but now, seeing that end nearing, he realized that he hadn't much to show for 18 years of existence.

_You are my son. _His father's words rang in his head as he recalled the first time hearing them. They had been directed at the oldest and the one who had shown so much promise. Itachi had rightfully earned that praise with his genius, his incredible talent. He, at one point, had been a good ninja before turning. Konoha could remember the good things about Itachi but they chose to recall the bad. Unlike Sasuke, who had nothing to show for he had never surpassed the rank of genin before defecting. They would remember the bad because that's all he had ever done.

He dropped his head into his hands to fight back the tears that threatened to fall from his obsidian gaze. A shuddered breath lunged from his mouth and he placed fingers over them to stifle anymore that threatened to surge from the tight knot in his throat. When he died, he hoped that he got a chance to explain to his parents why things had ended so tragically for such a noble and powerful line as the Uchihas.

_But I don't want to die!_ A voice shrieked in his head so loudly that it caused another sob to well in his mouth and slip passed both clenched lips and his hand._ I don't want to die! Not like this!_ Panic settled deep in his bones before being usurped by a weary despair. _The dye was cast,_ the voice of defeat whispered like a growing gale of wind.

He fell into bed and lay there, dressed only in a towel. His eyelids slid shut as he tried to piece together his shattered thoughts. This was the reason why he hated being idle, he thought as he fought against the urge to pick up his sword and smash something. When he was training, he didn't think about anything except the intricacy of his jutsus. His body turned into a mindless machine, only pumping out the best and most efficient way to kill, maim and destroy all to the approving eye of his teacher.

His mind flitted like a flock of sparrows, from one direction to the next until he found himself thinking about Naruto, yet again. Comforted by these thoughts, he allowed a small smile to curl his handsome lips as he recalled all the goofy things Naruto had ever done. He rolled over, allowing the towel to come loose and slide away from his hip as he settled himself on his side. Recalling the events that had caused him to do some pretty dumb stuff to spite Naruto, Sasuke's smile turned into a chuckle.

The door swung open suddenly, light pooled in from the lanterns that lit up the hallway outside. Sasuke grabbed his towel and jerked up to make himself decent as his eyes fell on the dark figure. The words lodged themselves in his throat as he tried to tell him to get out as he made out the look of deadly intent on Kabuto's face.

Finally when he had found the courage to speak, Sasuke said in a small voice, "What are you doing here, Kabuto?"

"I've come to repay you for the punishment you've earned me." He hissed as he kicked the door closed and cut off the light.

In the darkness the only thing the ex-Konoha ninja could hear was his own harsh breathing echoed by the thud of his heart. He crab walked backwards until his head hit the wall, his back pressing against the headboard. He could sense where Kabuto was and his eyes followed him blindly throughout the pitch black room. A hand touched the inside of his foot, travelling up his ankle to rest at his knee. Fingers gripped his leg, tenderness forgotten as Kabuto's grip tightened and jerked him down the mattress. Sasuke let out a soft cry, kicking out blindly. His foot was caught and pinned to the bed so that his legs were splayed indignantly.

Then his mind went blurry and dark enough to match the room in which he dwelt. Only the searing pain reminded him that he was still alive. Only the dual forces of despair and fear reminded him that once upon a time, he could have made choices that would have let him avoid such terrible realities.

**TBC **

**Yeah, yeah... I know... bad Shuri for victimizing Sasuke and making Kabuto into a bad guy. But people, there's a method to my madness... I swear. **


	3. If I Knew Then What I Know Now

AN: Thank you to all that reviewed! I'm sorry for the delay, things have been getting hectic around her. u.u My dad left for Afghanistan a few weeks ago so it's been a bit rough to adjust. But nonetheless! My muse prevails! It's 530AM in the morning and I must work at 900AM! Tee-hee! Hope you enjoy the third chappie to my wacky and uber-depressing story.

Disclaimer; I don't own it. All rights belong to Misashi Kishimoto and Shounen Jump.

**Chapter Three   
**_If I Knew Then What I Know Now..._**  
**

He curled in on himself, wrapping his arms tightly around his knees. He wanted to die. He wanted Orochimaru to take him and eradicate his soul, scorch it off the face of the earth like a puddle underneath the unrelenting sun. He felt dirty, like he'd never be clean ever again.

"Get out of bed and get dressed." Kabuto ordered in a steely voice that brooked no argument.

Keeping in mind the latest round of punishments he had received, Sasuke complied. He dragged himself out of bed and stood weaving on his feet, unsure of what to do next. As long as he wasn't hurt again, he didn't care. As long as Kabuto didn't touch him, he'd do whatever he wanted.

The clothes were passed to him and Sasuke flinched slightly when their fingers brushed. He yanked his hand back, the clothes dropping to the floor. "Pick them up." Kabuto snapped while he picked up his tray and moved to the door, "When you are dressed, go and see Orochimaru. He wants you for something."

He shrugged into the clean yukata and hakama, tying the purple sash before tucking his sword into it. Pushing the hair away from his face, Sasuke glanced at himself in a mirror. He looked like nothing had been touched, and yet all he could feel was Kabuto's fingerprints over ever inch of his flesh. He wanted to take another shower. Shaking his head, he steeled his thoughts and schooled his facial features to its usual disinterested gaze. After maintaining it for more than ten minutes, he found himself feeling confident and relieved that a shadow of his old self had returned.

As the material slid over his flesh, Sasuke tried to keep the wince off of his face. It occurred to him then that perhaps, this reason for Orochimaru's request for his company was maybe to tell him the wait was over. After six years, he would finally be released from this fleshy prison. Perhaps hell was better than what he was going through at that moment. An eternity of hellfire seemed like a breeze after a night in Kabuto's attention. He couldn't recall the reason he wanted to live since the first week of the silver haired jounin's 'attentions'. That had been six weeks ago.

Attempting to shuck off the demon of despair, Sasuke shook himself like a wet dog before opening the door to Orochimaru's study. "You called, Orochimaru?"

"I have something for you, Sasuke-kun." The serpentine man rasped.

He kept the disappointment from showing on his face but just barely, as Orochimaru stood from his desk and handed Sasuke a velvet bag. He balanced it in the palm of his hands, the weight of it was soothing and warm. He rolled it in his fingers, curious to see what it is. "What is it?"

"A little gift I picked up. It's quiet interesting." He hissed, taking the bag and undoing the string, tilting it to let the heavy ball roll into Sasuke's outstretched hand. "Feed it a bit of chakra into it and it will show you whatever you want, past or present."

"Why not future?"

The sannin paused, looking thoughtful. He tapped a finger against his lip before saying, "I'm not sure. Maybe because the future is such an indefinite thing that it cannot settle on one course of events?"

He frowned, wondering why he would want to see anything in the past or present, now that he had no friends or family or even any enemies to worry about? Whatever the reasons for Orochimaru's gift, Sasuke gave a rare smile before saying, "Thank you, Orochimaru."

"Your welcome, Sasuke-kun." He took the crystal ball and dropped it into the bag, drawing the strings closed and handing it back to the young man. "Now run along, I have work to do."

Feeling somewhat patronized by the tone of Orochimaru's voice, Sasuke paused before deciding to ignore it. He didn't want to bother the man, seeing as if Kabuto came back and Orochimaru was in a mood because of him, the medic-nin would immediately hunt out Sasuke and punish him severely.

Back in the haven of his room, Sasuke locked the door and slid a chair beneath the doorknob. That would keep Kabuto out of for any reason he decided to visit. He tossed the crystal ball on the bed and flopped down beside it, lacing his fingers behind his head. Feeling himself strangely exposed by his supine position, Sasuke curled his arms over his head until his elbows almost touched while curling onto his side. He let go of his head for just a moment to grab the edge of the coverlet and draw it over his body. Then he pulled the velvet bag within the space between his thighs and his stomach. The drawstrings loosened and the ball rolled out, resting against his chest.

Within the dim confines of his blanket-made cocoon, Sasuke wrapped his hands around the precious crystal and fed just a minute amount chakra into it. Nothing happened and instead of feeling disappointed, Sasuke merely fed more and more into it until he found his limbs shaking from the effort. When the orb was too heavy to hold, he dropped his hand onto the mattress and stared at it, confused as to why it wasn't working. His sight went blurry and he blinked, feeling the hot flow of tears collect at the bridge of his nose before sliding down the crease where his nose met his cheek. He closed his eyes, hearing a hoarse sob break from his mouth. Burying his face in his hands, he reined in control with a few deep breaths and pulled away.

It was then that he realised that the crystal ball was glowing- subtly, but it was glowing. A soft ringing noise filled the air where his sobs had just been. The light grew steadily brighter until Sasuke was wincing. He reached out and touched it, feeling all the power he had shoved into it, shimmy across his skin. His vision went dark, he blinked but couldn't see and then, he was in a field a thousand miles away from Orochimaru's lair.

He was laying in the softly swaying grass, smelling the cool scent of night. The stars looked inviting and he realized that this was the first time he had seen the sky in a very, very long time. The moon hung high in the sky, its solitude journey at its apex. The warmth of the gentle breeze chased away the damp cold in his bones and he rolled onto his side, taking deep breaths of sweet grass.

He was suddenly made aware of a presence. He sat up, and turned his head each way but to no avail. He was alone and yet strangely not. Getting to his feet, Sasuke swayed slightly before taking a step towards the direction of the presence he felt. As he crossed the vast field, nearing the line of dark trees, a sound floated in on the wind. Sasuke frowned as he tried to identify the sound and then realized, when the sound persisted, that it was a soft moan.

There, lying just beneath a large oak tree, lay Naruto. Sasuke wanted to call out to the blond but found himself strangely stilled. His eyes focussed in on the scantily clad man that was lying on his side, looking like he had glued himself to Naruto's naked body. Articles of clothing had been strewn about carelessly, as if the clothing had jumped off their skin.

"S-sasuke…" Naruto growled, his hands buried in a dark haired head that bobbed over his thrusting hips. From where Sasuke stood, he couldn't see what exactly the person was doing but he knew without really needing to see, what it was that he was doing.

Was this the future? Sasuke wondered, had Orochimaru gotten wrong after all and the crystal ball did show the future? His heart skipped a beat at the prospect of seeing Naruto again, much less doing this with him. He was distracted from his thoughts as Naruto's cry echoed through the night. His back arched, his naked chest gleaming in the moonlight as the future Sasuke diligently licked at his softening shaft.

Sasuke stepped closer, squatting down on his haunches to watch the blond as he pulled his future self into his arms.

"I love you Sasuke." Naruto whispered, brushing a kiss on the crown of his head.

His heart wrenched painfully in his chest as he watched future-Sasuke look up and smile. He lowered his head then, pressing an ear to Naruto's naked chest. Sasuke could almost hear what his future-self was hearing. The steady i_lub-dub/i_ of Naruto's heart inside his chest, the whoosh of air as it was taken into his lungs and pushed out through his nose.

Sasuke felt himself fading from the scene. He watched the colours slide away. He watched Naruto's body melt into the blackness that replaced the deep night's colours. Suddenly, he was laying in his bed a thousand miles away, beneath blankets that smelled faintly of sweat, blood, cum and above that, laundry detergent.

He wanted out, suddenly. He wanted to burst from the confines of his cage and out into the night to seek out Naruto. He didn't want to be here anymore. Nothing was worth dying for, nothing. He knew this now that he stood on the precipice of death. There was nothing worth dying for, but everything worth living for. To fight was to live. To surrender was to give up hope and die.

Naruto lay under the tree and watched the stars peek out from beneath the canopy of trees. His body felt heavy in the customary post-orgasm haze but it was curried by the insomnia that had gripped him since returning from his mission in sound country, where he had last seen Sasuke.

He let the bunshin go in a puff of smoke and sat up, tucking himself back into his pants and donning his shirt and jacket. He felt guilty and a little ashamed of himself for using his jutsu for such a perverted reason but his body had needs that Sasuke had woken during that fleeting moment they shared. He stood up and pried the kunai from the tree that he had been using for target practice.

Tonight, more than ever, he had sensed Sasuke. His smell was carried on the wind, just above the subtle scent of night flowers and crushed grass. The bunshin was merely a copy of himself turned into the image of Sasuke that he remembered last. He didn't have the mannerisms, the thoughts, the voice or the smell of him. It hadn't been a very convincing copy but it had done in a pinch.

Naruto sank down on his knees, feeling that somehow he had desecrated his best friend's image by doing this. By lusting after him so badly that at times, it hurt enough to make him want to die. His slipping control had caused someone to get injured on a mission during that day. He couldn't focus. When he stepped back into Konoha, he was whisked away to stand in front of the Hokage to explain why he had faltered so badly during the mission.

"I'm sorry, baa-chan. I fucked up."

The blonde woman scowled, "Yes you did Naruto." The severe look on her face melted away and she sighed, "What's been bothering you Naruto? I've gotten reports that you've been touchier than usual. You've been closing yourself off."

"It's nothing…"

"I think it is something if you FUBAR'd a mission this badly. It's not like you to get like this, Naruto." She said softly, her eyes reflecting her concerned words. "You've been like this since you returned from Sound which leaves me to believe that you have found Sasuke, despite your reports that the lead was a dud."

He could never lie to the woman. He loved her too much and it wasn't really in his character to do so. Naruto ducked his head, letting the silence fill in what she had already surmised. "You mean to tell me that you had Sasuke in your hands but you didn't do anything about it?" Her voice was soft, yet dangerous.

"I couldn't. I was eyebrow deep in Sound-nin. Sasuke's been put on some sort of metaphysical leash. He can't step out of the boundaries that Orochimaru has put down."

"But if you would have shared this bit of information from me earlier, I could have sent someone who could have broken him out." She said.

He gave her a blank look before asking, "And who is more powerful than me? With both my own chakra reserves and the Kyuubi's, who do you think could best me besides you? Are you willing to go, baa-chan?"

She frowned, "I could have sent Jiraiya."

"Right, if you can find him. The ero-sennin's been missing for four years."

Tsunade tapped her fingers on her desk, "I could go."

"No, the village needs you, old lady."

She smiled at him, all of her close to sixty years reflecting in her eyes, "Naruto, when did you grow up? When did you become such a smart, handsome ninja?"

"Che! I was always smart and handsome!" He crowed.

"My left foot you were! You were nothing but a gangly, smart-ass kid who didn't know when to shut up!"

"We couldn't expect an old lady like you to appreciate my good looks and charm." He stuck his tongue out, contradicting what she had said.

Her tired smile turned into an exasperated scowl, she slammed her fist on the table and yelled, "Stop calling me names, brat!"

"Call a spade, a spade! That's what I believe!" He taunted as he dodged a scroll that was aimed for his head. "See ya 'round old lady." Naruto waltzed out the door, chuckling as Tsunade hurled threats at him.

Kakashi stood leaning against a wall with his foot planted against it. He pushed off and fell into step beside him as they left the Hokage's dojo. He didn't speak until they were sitting at Ichiraku's, which was devoid of customers that time in the afternoon. "Just came from the hospital to tell you that Kiba-kun is alright."

Relief flushed the tension from his eyes, Naruto slumped in his chair and said, "Thank god."

"Are you going to go back to Sound for Sasuke-kun?" He asked once the old man had put their bowls of ramen in front of them and had moved away from earshot.

Naruto shrugged before dipping into his ramen. He didn't know how Kakashi knew half of what he did, but he didn't question it either. "I can't until I get stronger."

"You can beat Orochimaru, Naruto."

He shook his head, "Not yet I can't."

Naruto leaned his head back against the tree, trying to recall the rest of the day that had brought him to this point. It seemed that his inner circle of friends, Kakashi and Sakura, had known that he had seen Sasuke despite how he had tried to cover it up. He had been a bit surprised and a bit touched that they showed so much concern for him, despite the lies he had told them about the dry lead.

Could he really beat Orochimaru? He wondered, emboldened by Kakashi's confidence in his abilities. Kakashi had been wrong on things before, but not on something like Naruto's seemingly unlimited amount of power. He had always been told that, despite all that power, he lacked the imagination to apply it properly. That had been something he had worked at improving, but unfortunately, a lack of imagination was certainly not something that could be rectified with years of practice. There was only so far that it could get a person before sheer talent kicked in. But for what he lacked in intelligence and imagination, he made up for in stamina and stubbornness—downright pig-headedness as Sakura had called it.

The question that begged asking was, could he live with himself if Sasuke really died? He shook his head, feeling panic well up in the pit of his stomach. The thought of the Uchiha dying before he knew what Naruto really felt for him, was terrifying. Sasuke's end was undoubtedly drawing near and sitting there, contemplating things wasn't going to help the situation.

He made his way back to his apartment, jumping from roof to roof. Through his window instead of unlocking the door like any normal person would have done, Naruto threw himself into the room and scrambled for supplies he'd need for the journey and battle ahead.

It took him fifteen minutes to put together a travel pack and he was out the door, standing in front of Konoha's only gate as the sun slowly broke free of the horizon. A voice called to him, shattering the dawn air and he turned to see Sakura running after him.

"Where are you going, Naruto?" She asked, her voice soft and filled with fear.

"I'm going to get him back, Sakura-chan."

"But you can't go alone."

He shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry but I'm the only one capable of beating Orochimaru—besides Tsunade and Jiraiya. I don't want anyone coming with me because they'll just get in the way."

She looked like she was desperately trying not to cry. Holding a fist in front of her mouth to stifle a sob, Sakura whispered, "You won't let me go with you?"

Wrapping his arms around her shuddering shoulders, Naruto whispered softly, "I'll bring that idiot back so we can both have our fun beating the crap out of him for leaving us behind. I promise."

"You promise you'll be back—that you'll bring Sasuke back, too?"

"You have my word on it."

Looking relieved, she smiled, "Don't do anything stupid and don't forget to eat your vegetables. If anything goes wrong, you know the spy routes in Sound, right?"

"Of course!" He grinned, "You sound like you're married to me!" Despite the obvious fact that his pubescent crush for the woman had long since died off, he still couldn't help teasing her.

She blushed furiously and stuttered, "Naruto, you idiot! Don't make light of my feelings for you!"

He laid a kiss on her tear damp cheek before saying, "I'll see you in a few months, alright?"

"Okay. Be back before the wedding."

His eyes widened, "Uhm… wedding…? You know I was just joking… right?"

"Has everything got to be about you? I wouldn't marry you on pain of death—I know your living habits. I mean, Lee proposed and we're getting married."

"Kind of soon, don't you think?" She patted her stomach and his eyes went wide, "Oh, you dirty girl, you! I had no idea that fuzzy-eyebrows was such a lusty fellow." He said gleefully. He hugged her once more before turning towards the gate.

"You better come back, or else I'll find you and knock your lights out!" She called out as the gates swung open just enough for him to slip out.

Sasuke had no idea what time it was since there were no windows in his room and no clocks. He rolled over onto his side, directly onto the hard crystal orb. He grunted as he pried it out from under his ribs and dropped it on to the pillow beside his head. Strangely, his fingers craved the touch of the smooth, crystal surface. He reached out and touched it again, running his palm over it. He fed it a bit more chakra and watched as the familiar glow suffused its depths, casting the pitch black room into eerie shadows.

Just as he had done a thousand times before, Sasuke found himself locked in a past where he was a pissed off, scared and confused little boy who didn't know any better. He smiled down at his sleeping younger self, wishing that he could whisper in his ear all the advice that he had gained from his ordeals with both his estranged, murderous brother and Orochimaru. He wished that he could tell himself that the blond he thought was so unworthy of his friendship, was going to be the most important and precious person he'd ever know.

Beside him, Naruto was snoring away. Sakura was on the other side of the campfire, tucked daintily into her sleeping bag. Kakashi sat hunched in a tree with his nose stuck in his dirty book. He recalled this night, it had been the last night they had camped out before getting back into Konoha from their mission into Mist country. Just a few days earlier, they had witnessed the tragic end of Haku and Zabuza.

"You know, I'm not quite sure who you are but if my guess is correct, you are an older Sasuke." Kakashi's voice made him jump. He whirled around to see that Kakashi had his book balanced on his thigh and had pulled up his hitai-ate to bare the sharingan.

"You can see me?"

"Barely." Kakashi squinted, "Ah yes, you are an older Uchiha."

"Can you tell my younger self that it's not worth killing Itachi? Can you tell him that there's nothing worth dying for?" He asked, his heart lodged painfully in his throat.

Kakashi dropped down from the tree and stepped around the campfire, into the shadows were the older Sasuke stood. "What happens, Sasuke?"

He shook his head, unable to put to words all the misdeeds—all the crimes that he had committed against those he had loved. "Just promise me that, Kakashi."

"I will but tell me what happens."

He opened his mouth and found the world was starting to dim. He cursed the crystal ball's fickleness. Then as an afterthought he yelled, "Tell him to tell Naruto his true feelings." The world collapsed then and he found himself back in his huge, four poster bed. He pressed the heels of his hands into his throbbing temples to ease the pain as he thought about his unexpected discussion with Kakashi. He wondered if Kakashi had told him, and if so, had he listened. He looked around and realized that nothing had changed so either he had failed to relay the message or his former self hadn't listened. He was willing to bet the latter. He had always been terrible at following instructions.

"Get me out of here, Naruto." Sasuke murmured into his pillow before slipping into a deep sleep that was filled with dreams of Naruto's body beneath his, his finger tips running over his satin-like flesh.

TBC


End file.
